176 
AVES. 
There are others very much smaller, — such as 
Str. Tengtnalmi, Gm.— [These have an extended auditory conch, as in the Howlets, like which they are very ; 
nocturnal, and unable to endure the light of day. The Nyctale of Brehm. The species indicated is peculiar to j 
the Eastern Continent, that confounded with it in the fur-countries of North America, Str. Tengmalmi, 
Richardson, being now dedicated to its enterprising discoverer.] 
But the greater number of these small species have only 
a few scattered hairs on the toes, [and are nearly allied to the 
true Sums. They are the Athene, Boie]. Such is 
Str. passerina, Gm. [and of British authors; Str. noctua, Lin.; 
Athene noctua, Bonap.] — It nestles in old walls, [and frequently in 
chimneys, and has been seen to pursue Swallows on the wing. A 
remarkable exotic species, with very long tarsi, is the 
Str. cunicularia, Molina, or the Burrowing Owl, as it has been 
called ; but which, it is most probable, only appropriates the dwell- 
ings of burrowing quadrupeds, as the Barn Owl is known to do 
under similar circumstances ; the present species inhabiting the open 
prairies of America, where there are no trees, and abounding in the 
villages of the Prairie Marmots, as also in the burrows of the Vis- 
cachas]. 
There are yet other Noetuce with unfeathered toes, which 
approximate the Howlets in size. Cayenne supplies several fine 
species, and particularly the three following : — 
Str. cayennensis, Gm. ; Str. lineata, Shaw, or Str. albomarginata, 
Spix; and Str. torquata, Baud.— The two first of these equal in size the Tawny Howlet, and the last is 
still larger. 
Finally, there are some in America, which have the tarsi, in addition to their toes, denuded of 
feathers ; of which the 
Str. nudipes. Baud., may be cited in illustration. 
The Scops {Scops, Savigny), — 
With ears proportioned to the size of the head, the incomplete disk and naked toes of the preceding, 
combine aigrettes analogous to those of the Bubows and Hiboux. 
One inhabits Europe {Str. scops, Lin.)— Scarcely larger than a Blackbird, [and there are many others]. 
Some foreign species occur of rather large size, with the legs, as well as the toes, naked. [They 
constitute the subdivision Ketupa.~\ Such are 
Str. Ketupa, Tern., and Str. Leschenaulti, Id., which may possibly prove to be identical. [These Birds are 
essentially Bubows, with long and naked tarsi, the skin of which corrugates in dry specimens, so as to present 
somewhat the appearance of being covered with reticulated scales, which is not the case. Their toes are very 
rough underneath, as in the Ospreys ; and like them they prey chiefly on fish, and sometimes crustaceans. The 
Cultrunguis of Hodgson appears to be a synonyme of this subdivision. 
The great group of Owls falls naturally into three distinct sections, distinguishable at the 
first glance ; and two of these sections comprehend species which differ exceedingly in the 
magnitude of the external ear. 
The first comprises all that are decorated with aigrettes, or what are popularly termed 
Horned Owls j as the divisions Nyctea, Bubo, Ketupa, Scops, and Otus. 
In the second section, the whole of the tuftless species should be brought together, 
excepting those constituting the subdivision Strix of Savigny. They mainly differ in their 
degrees of adaptation for nocturnal or semi-diurnal habits. 
The third is composed of the restricted genus Strix, or the Barn Owls, and is much more 
distinct from both the others, than the latter are inter se. The aspect of the living bird is 
! very different in these ihree primary sections.] 
